Movie Ritual
by Candy for Keyblades
Summary: It started with a storm. Or the the affair. Or the book. Okay, so it's hard to tell what it began with. But, the important thing is that they ended up on the couch with three inches between them. Let it be said that Riku hated measurement units of any kind when they got in his way. Soriku. Fluffy oneshot.


Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Happy?

* * *

This story all started with a rainy day. A storm actually. Alright, it was really more of a natural disaster. Natural disasters are not good when you live on a tiny island in the middle of bumble fuck nowhere. But that's where this story begins.

Sora was not someone who made a habit of going to the library. In fact, he'd only been in there five times in his entire life of citizenship on Destiny Islands. However, as a teenager, he had to go to school. School was well known as a place where research papers were assigned.

And thus, Sora had to go to the library.

He decided that it wasn't actually that bad, but it was too quiet. And the librarian kept hush-yelling at him whenever he started talking to himself about sweets or sea turtles. It wasn't his fault! He just did it. Mean old Yen Sid. Man needed to trim the creature he called a beard. Better yet, he needed to cage it.

As he stacked the book in his arms, he faintly noticed that rain drops were lightly tapping on the glass windows, and that the sky had darkened. He heard the heavy rumble of thunder in the distance, and figured he should start heading back soon. He looked down at his list. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check...

Not check. Damn it.

He wasted another twenty minutes searching for the book. Wise. The author was Ansem Wise. He followed the holy law of Dewey, and when that didn't work, he used one of the dinosaur computers at the desk. He even mustered up the courage to ask Yen Sid and his beard where it might be.

It wasn't anywhere.

Noting with a tired sigh that the drizzle had turned into cats and dogs and all sorts of animals falling from clouds, Sora's shoulders slumped. It was pouring. His house was a mile away. He could only fit two of the five books into his bag. Sora realized he needed to plan better if he was ever going to last a day outside of the protection of his mother.

As he braced himself to open the doors and sprint, a flash of silver caught his eye. As he turned his head, he caught the words, 'Ansem Wise' on the spine of a thick, navy blue book that rested in firm hands. Zooming out on his view, he saw that it was Riku.

On such a small island, it's hard to not know anybody, so Sora was familiar with Riku's reputation at least. They'd spoken a few times in light conversation. Notes, passing greetings. They weren't unfriendly with one another...

They just weren't exactly friendly either.

Riku was the type to keep to himself. He had friends, sure, but there seemed to always be an invisible force field surrounding him. He was always staring off at something. Most of the local gossips blamed it on his childhood. It was no secret that his mother had left the island to pursue an affair, and that his father had simply fallen to pieces afterwards.

Sora remembered once walking home with Kairi when he was nine, and overhearing two women on their front porch as Riku passed ahead of them.

"There goes that poor boy. It's a shame really. His father was such a happy man before everything."

"Does he still live with him?"

"Oh, no. Not anymore. See? He's going to his grandfather's house. I heard his father's leaving the island next month. Supposedly, he's going to Besaid to work as some travel agent. He promised he'd send Merlin what he could in return for raising Riku."

"And how exactly do you know all this?"

"I just bring over dinner for them sometimes."

As it went, that was what happened. Riku's grandfather, Merlin, took him in, and everything else was kept behind doors. Sora knew nothing else aside from the fact that he was on the swim team, and top of the class. Merlin was some kind of eccentric scholar, so Riku always had a book on hand.

Of course, the book that was currently in said hand was the one that Sora desperately needed. Even the others he'd found all cited it in the bibliography! He _had_ to have _Theories on the Heart and Soul: A Study in Human Emotions. _The report was due in two weeks. There was no way Riku would be done with a book that thick in time for the brunette to read it, process 2% of it, and then regurgitate the knowledge on a high school paper.

So, there was only one solution to this predicament: convince Riku to let him have the book first.

This would turn out to be easier said than done.

At the moment, Riku was fumbling with an umbrella, book bag slung over his shoulder, and book tucked up under his arm. He was about to step outside to go home.

"Uh, hi, Riku." Aquamarine eyes shot over to him, regarding him unperturbedly, but not rudely. Sora had observed that this was part of his stand-offish personality. "That book wouldn't happen to be the _only_ copy of _Theories on the Heart and Soul _on Destiny Islands, would it?" he asked, laughing nervously. He subtly attempted to point a the text while holding onto the ones he clutched to his chest. "Because, I kinda, like, _really _need it for a report."

Riku looked out the window to examine the rain, and then back to Sora. "You live about a mile from here, right?"

Sora blinked confusedly. "Um. Yeah. So...about that book..."

Riku nodded towards the stack in Sora's arms. "Those will get soaked. I live about two minutes away, by foot. Why don't you come over and wait out the storm? I actually paid attention to the weather forecast and brought an umbrella."

He hadn't given Sora a response to his question. But, now that his mind was brought more firmly to it, yes. The books would receive some level of damage, and he was likely to kill himself running through the heavy downpour. Riku had an umbrella. There were flood warnings. Riku lived on higher ground than the little dip in the road he'd have to go through (more likely swim through) to get to his own residence. And so, in a rare overcoming of logic on Sora's behalf, he accepted.

He wasn't certain, but he could have sworn he saw Riku's eyes light up a little. That might have been the flash of lightning though.

* * *

When they stumbled through the door and slammed it behind them, Merlin looked up from his papers in surprise. "Riku! There you are, my boy! I was beginning to fret, what with this blasted storm and whatnot." He stood to greet his grandson, and finally noticed Sora, who was shivering and trying to shake off some of the water. The umbrella hadn't done much. "Oh, my word; who's this? Sora, is it?" At his nod, the academic smiled widely, and snuck a glance at Riku. "Come in! Come in, dear lad. I've already got the fire place roaring. Riku, be a proper host and get him a change of clothes!"

Nearly tripping over the stacks of books, Sora scrambled to follow Riku up the narrow, winding staircase and into his room. He took his chance to take it in as Riku rummaged around in the tiny walk-in closet. It was small, with nothing more than a desk, twin-sized bed, dresser, and bookshelf. The walls were covered with colorful maps, travel posters, and post cards.

"Cool. You want to travel?"

As he handed Sora a pair of sweat pants and a red t-shirt, he nodded almost nervously. "Yeah. Meriln's been just about everywhere. He's told me stories about Agrabah, the Land of Dragons, Radiant Garden, and even the Pride Lands since I was little. Once, he snuck into Port Royal, pretending to be a pirate." Sora observed that he smiled slightly as he said this.

"Wow. That's amazing!"

After they were changed, Sora discovered that Riku was very, very muscular. He was also a decent four inches or so taller, so his clothes fit very loosely. He didn't mid though; they were comfy. The other boy let his hair hang around his face as he slipped into another pair of sweats and a tee.

When they arrived back downstairs, Merlin had hot chocolate waiting for them. The warm mug was welcome by Sora's frigid fingers, and he thanked the old man with abundance. There was a crack of thunder outside. Merlin went upstairs to his study.

Riku plopped on the couch (the only surface that didn't seem to be coated with text) and reached for the remote. Sora was surprised that they had a TV, outdated though it was. "I think you might be stuck here for a while, so do you want to watch a movie?"

Sitting next to him, Sora nodded. The white-haired teen swept his arm to indicate to the selection stored under the television.

They were VCRs. Why didn't that surprise him? Riku seemed to pick up on his amusement. "Merlin's kind of old fashioned. I don't mind though." Sora laughed, and eventually they settled on an old sci-fi film with terrible graphics and costumes. The majority of entertainment came from mocking it.

The entire time they were on the couch together, Sora felt weird and bubbly every time their thighs brushed together, or their hands touched. And he could sense Riku was making very keen observation of all these minor events as well. In the soft glow of the TV, he could see the older boy's muscles jump at the slightest contact, until they were nearly constantly tense. He looked nervous. Why? The brunette couldn't begin to imagine.

He was probably shy. It would help to explain the invisible force field, anyway.

Still, Sora had to mentally slap himself when he caught himself unconsciously sneaking glances.

Three movies and four hot cocoas later, Sora felt himself resisting yawns. It seemed that Riku was too. It was still pouring, and the radio had said that the lower levels of the island were unsafe due to slight flooding. That meant Sora's house was blocked off. He was stuck for the night.

Riku dragged a sleeping bag into his room and set it on the floor. He had insisted Sora take his bed. He tossed the brunette his cell phone so he could call home, but all he got was the dial tone. Reception was gone. In the next minute, there was a flash of lightning, and the power was dead. Riku sighed. "Will your parents know you're all right?"

Sora considered this for a moment. "Well, Mom's on the main island for business. My brother, Leon, knew I was at the library, so he's probably assuming I either stayed there, or made it to a friend's place." He smiled at Riku. "Which I did."

The other boy crossed his legs as he sat on the floor. Sora could barely make out his shape in the dark. "We're friends?" At Sora's enthusiastic "well, duh," he chuckled.

Sora leaned back against the headboard, clutching a pillow to his chest. It smelled like Riku. "We've been hanging out for the past five hours without declaring war, so I think we're friends now. I kinda wish this storm had come sooner though."

"And why's that?"

Sora didn't even hesitate. "So that we could've done this a long time ago."

Riku blushed, thankful for the dark of the room.

* * *

Oh my God. Oh my God, oh my God, _oh my God._

Sora was in his room. Sora was in _his_ room, possibly enjoying himself, with his earnest blue eyes and slim build and tan skin and perfect smile and now he said he wished he'd done this sooner? Was he dreaming? Had he watched one too many bad sci-fi films? Was he drunk?

Riku was so.

Fucking.

Happy.

Seriously, it had taken incredible self control to play it cool at the library instead of bursting into a hysterical fit when Sora agreed to come over.

Not to give it away or anything, but Riku had something of a crush on the brunette. Okay, not so much crush as much as a three year obsession with lots of daydreams about skin and kissing and cuddles and everything in between.

It hadn't been a sudden, love-at-first-sight thing. He'd known Sora since they were little, at school. But with his parents and the affair and moving in with Merlin, he just stayed away from the other kids for the most part. He'd had a lot on his plate. He got to be more talkative during junior high, and sometimes took part in casual conversation with Sora, but never anything more.

When they all went out to the play island, Riku would spend a lot of time in the Secret Place. Sometimes, he'd sit on the paopu tree and watch the others run around and laugh. Sora always seemed to smile the brightest.

One day, when he was about ten, he'd been sulking on the tree for a while – probably getting a sunburn too. He was in such a mood because he'd overheard two of the neighbor women talking about him on his way to Merlin's from school. He hadn't even known that his father was planning on leaving! And, he didn't want him to go. Sure, he liked living with Grandpa Merlin. There weren't as many bottles on the floor. But he loved his dad, and he didn't want him to go all the way to Besaid. It was a three hour trip by boat!

So he was sulking, wondering what power he possessed as a ten year old to fix this. That was when Sora noticed him up there, all by himself. He told Kairt, Tidus, and the others to wait a second. He raced up the stairs, across the bridge, and skidded to a stop in front of Riku.

"Hi!" He caught his breath before speaking again. "I don't wanna bother you, but I just now noticed that you sit up here by yourself a lot, and you looked sad today and so I thought that's not good so I wanted to come up here and ask you if you wanted to play Warriors with us?" He gasped, taking a big gulp of air, and watched Riku expectantly.

He had his arms wrapped around himself, but slowly loosened them as he considered what the boy had said. "You...want me to play with you?"

At this, Sora had looked away bashfully and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, if you don't wanna, that's okay... I just thought...maybe..." Riku felt a warmth in his chest and smiled slightly. He got down and agreed to play.

From then on, he was welcome in the children's games. He didn't always feel up to participating or talking, but a window had been opened for him. That was more than enough.

As the years went by, he still held everyone in the group at arm's length, but his outlook on life had significantly improved. And all of a sudden, he was fourteen. Riku began to notice that he watched Sora more than anyone else at the island. That he had a file in his head for each way his body curved. That he had calculated the distance of his smile, and had at least twenty synonyms on hand to describe the color of his eyes.

It was when he was fifteen that he finally realized he was completely head over heels.

So he watched Sora from afar, certain that he'd never get any closer than he already was.

But now things were different. Sora had said it himself: they were friends now. He was closer. And all because that book had caught his eye. It was amazing.

As the other boy settled in for the night, Riku lay wide awake. He could hear him. His breath, the small squeak of the bed when he moved, his incoherent mumbles as he dreamed... it was next to heavenly.

And so, Riku devised a scheme. Sora was there because of the book. Therefore, as long as Riku had it, Sora would have a reason to see him and speak to him. So, Riku had to keep the book. That meant he had to come up with some excuse as to why he couldn't give it to Sora, but could let him come over to look at it for his research needs. If all went well, by the end of the week, Sora wouldn't _need_ a practical reason to seek his company, and Riku would be in his pants and photo album by Christmas.

It was perfect.

Well. As perfect as a plan dreamed up by a lovesick teenage boy could possibly be.

* * *

Riku awoke to the sound of light snoring coming from the bed above him. Groggily, he sat up and stretched with a drawn out yawn. He was brought out of his sleepy state when he remembered just _who_ exactly was taking up his bed.

Sora was sprawled out – foot hanging off the edge, tan stomach slightly exposed, mouth partially open, and sheets tangled around him. His hair was in even more disarray than usual. He mumbled and Riku smiled. Now, if only he could wake up in bed with such a beautiful creature.

Sora was launched awake by a thundering crash that sounded like pots and pans that came from downstairs. He sat up abruptly, and Riku couldn't help but notice that his confused and somewhat startled expression was rather cute.

"I'm all right, boys! Don't you worry! These infernal cabinets are just too high for a old man!" The older boy stifled a chuckle. He was more than familiar with his grandfather's antics.

Sora rubbed his eye drowsily. "Is he gonna be m'kay?"

His deep laugh reverberated around Sora, waking him up a bit more. "He'll be fine. This is normal for us."

The rain had stopped and the wind had calmed. Dark clouds had parted and given way to the bright sunshine of Destiny Islands. There was slight flooding, but nothing the islanders couldn't handle. Sora's clothes had dried over night, and so he returned Riku's garments.

Sora scooped up his bag and books, thanked Merlin profusely for dinner and the sudden hospitality, and stood at the threshold of the front door with Riku. "Thanks for letting me stay."

The white-haired teen shook his head shyly. "No, no. It's fine. I've been meaning to, uh, get to know you better anyway." Lame! Totally lame! What was he saying?!

The younger boy blinked owlishly and smiled. "Really? That's great. I'll be sure to stop by more often." He readjusted the books in his hands before they slipped. This served to remind him of the whole reason he'd spoken with Riku in the first place. "Oh! Right! I can't believe I almost forgot! Do you think I could use that book? The one by Ansem Wise?"

This was where Riku had failed to prepare. Sure, Sora had just said he would come by more often, (and this made him incredibly excited) but people forget small words that they say at other people's front doors. "Um. Actually, Merlin...well, he asked me to get it for him for some, ah, research thing. He needs to have it on hand for a few days. But, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving it up for a few hours if you wanted to come here?"

Sora's spikes had drooped, but perked up once again at the proposition. "Hmm. Deal." He turned to leave, but paused on the porch steps. "On one condition."

"Condition?"

Sora nodded enthusiastically. "Yup. Each time I come over here, you have to watch a bad movie with me." He waited for Riku's response, and it seemed that he was almost overwhelmed for a second. Sunlight glinted off of his aquamarine eyes.

The older boy giggled, trying (and failing) to downplay his utter joy. He managed to somehow slip into his role as the dashing charmer. "Being the benevolent creature that I am... I suppose I could entertain you." Did his voice shake? No? Good. He noticed a slight blush stain Sora's cheeks. He told him to stop by his place the next day, and Sora took off running, his shoes splashing the puddles in the road.

Oh, happy day. He went back inside and jumped a little bit, making a miserable attempt to control himself. Snatching the book he hugged it to his chest and ran upstairs to his room. If he wasn't completely enraptured with Sora and 80% sure he was dead, he could have kissed this Ansem guy! Settling on his bed, he spread his hand across the cover, feeling the cracked leather, smelling the old pages. This was it. This was his passport into the Kingdom of Sora. He imagined it to be a wonderful place with a breathtaking sky, fantastic weather, and –

Oh my goodness life was awesome.

* * *

Riku's plan worked. Sora returned the next day with a notepad and some popcorn. Riku gave him the book for an hour, and then they watched _Godzilla _with amused smirks. The energetic boy came back the next day and the day after that up until the end of the week. But then, his report was done, and Riku was convinced that this was the end of his vacation in paradise.

He spent the night curled up with the blanket Sora borrowed when they watched old films together, wondering what would happen next. He'd already resigned himself to a lonely fate, devoid of adorable brunettes with addicting blue eyes and dazzling smiles. Then, the next morning, there was a knock at the door at precisely 9:53 am.

It was Sora. He ignored Riku's puzzled expression, and asked him what they were watching on this fine Saturday.

Weeks went by. Sora regularly engaged him in conversation at school and whatnot. They'd walk back to Merlin's cozy house and pick a movie, and eventually they burned through all of the awful sci-fi, so now they laughed at whatever they could find.

Riku was nothing less than ecstatic. They had progressed to the point of being comfortable enough with each other to wrestle and mock fight. Sora was nearly always smiling around him, and he felt like he was walking on air when they hung out.

However.

He began to want more. And he knew it was a little greedy – really he did. But he couldn't be content with that three inch space between them on the couch. It was getting harder and harder to keep himself from running his hand through Sora's hair, brushing his cheek, wrapping an arm around him on the couch...

Kissing him.

That was the worst. He couldn't help it, and he was beginning to reach the breaking point. He would lie awake at night with the echoes of his laughter bouncing around inside his head. With the ghost touch of his fingers against his wrist to help him up after a match. He could not sleep. Because every time he closed his eyes, he saw blue irises gazing up at him with mirth. Something was going to have to change soon before he went insane.

Sora had begun to experience some inner conflict as well. He'd found he loved hanging out with Riku. Within the span of just a few days they were completely in synch with one another. It was if they'd always been together, and yet it had been scarcely more than a month. It made him regret the years he hadn't known him, but he chose not to dwell on that for long. Things were good now and they'd stay that way.

"Where are you at, Sora?" Leon suddenly yanked him out of his thoughts. They sat across from each other at the dining table, take out laid before them in a glorious feast. Their Mom was out on business again.

He shrugged. "Just thinking."

Leon hummed thoughtfully and returned to his food. After a moment, he spoke up again. "You've been spending a lot of time with your new friend," he noted.

Sora nodded. He couldn't argue. There had already been several nights he'd stayed at Merlin's with Riku. It made him wonder if he was neglecting his other friends. But, that couldn't be true. Whenever Riku was with him at school, they all grinned and laughed with him. And when the older boy separated from the group to get to his class, they all sent him smirks and knowing stares. That part had him confused, but they didn't seem mad. Kairi especially.

Sora thought the conversation was over. His older brother wasn't very talkative, and he didn't expect much more. They were opposites in that manner. But he pressed on. "You talk about him a lot."

He swallowed his food. "Do I?" Where was he going with this? Was he implying something? Well, sure, he really liked Riku. He could certainly admire his physique and build and all that. He noticed his vibrant eyes from day one. He was always considerate of Sora's needs, always making sure he was comfortable. Sora enjoyed being with him immensely. Given the choice between blitzball with the gang and doing something with Riku, he was choosing Riku more and more.

And there had been that dream...

It wasn't a big deal. Really. He'd just woken up in the middle of the night with a slight mess to clean up and memories of white hair, aquamarine eyes, a firm chest, shortness of breath, sweat, and other...parts. It hadn't been something to get worked up over.

Until it happened again.

And again.

And again.

Leon was smirking at him know, having been watching the wheels and gears turn in his head for a few minutes. Sora was an expressive thinker. His face wasn't too hard to read, and his brother knew exactly what was running through his mind.

When Sora finally saw Leon's smug expression, everything clicked. The grins his friends gave him, the dreams, his unconscious internal narration of all things wonderful about Riku. And now that he really thought about it, he'd found himself unconsciously leaning in towards Riku when they were on that couch. Or he would want to touch the side of his face or sleep with him.

There had been a couple times when he'd just stared at his lips and thought about doing the obvious.

Okay, so he kinda had a crush. And he'd maybe been a teeny bit oblivious to that fact up until about four seconds ago.

Way to go, Sora. Adult world, here we come.

Leon silently went about clearing his plate, leaving Sora to his thoughts. He was pretty good at steering him in the right direction and letting him figure the rest out for himself.

Having fully realized the nature of his affection, the next logical step in the thinking process was what to do with such knowledge. He now understood that he would very much like to kiss his new best friend, but should he? Would something like that be welcome on Riku's part?

Let's think. Riku seemed to enjoy his company. That was certain. But how much? He seemed to blush and squirm a bit when they were together, but was that because he liked him? Or was it because he suspected Sora had such intentions and was uncomfortable around him? He wasn't sure. There had been a few times when their hands brushed or they subconsciously scooted closer until their legs touched. Riku would become flustered, but hesitate to move away. What did that mean?

Was he just reading too much into it?

His brain was all messed up. It was like a ball of yarn that had gotten all tangled up by a kitten Sora decided to name Hormones. Leon returned to the dining area to find that his brother had not moved, and his eyebrows were scrunched up with confusion. The older brunette sighed and placed a hand on Sora's head. It flattened a few spikes.

"If you're really that uncertain, have him over to dinner tomorrow. I'll let you know."

And thus, Sora had the makings of a game plan.

* * *

When Riku stepped into his house, for surprisingly the first time, Sora was not ready. What if Leon said it was a no-go? What if Riku found out? What if? What if? What if?

He'd dressed with slightly more consideration than usual. His crown necklace hung from his neck like always, and he sported a light blue shirt with a band logo, a zip-up black hoodie and tight-fitting jeans. Riku was, Sora now freely admitted, sexy no matter what he wore.

Dinner was a casual affair. Spaghetti and breadsticks with chocolate ice cream for dessert. During the meal, Sora found it increasingly difficult to prevent himself from sneaking glances every fifteen seconds. Instead, he tried to focus on Leon, who had yet to give him any indication about Riku's behavior and its meanings.

What he didn't know was that, excluding the part about Leon, Riku was doing the same. His introduction to Sora's older brother had been swift and to the point. He was the complete opposite of the bright and enthusiastic boy. Quiet, nearly sullen, and closed off, Riku suspected that this balance actually worked well for them. Every now and then he'd see Leon staring at him, as if trying to read him with those stormy grey eyes.

The meal was one filled with tension. Leon had to keep from smirking as he watched the pair's eyes dance around one another, scared, nervous, and young. He'd never seen Sora so uncertain, which meant that this was a bigger deal than he initially thought. It wasn't just a passing crush anymore. And he knew that it wasn't on Riku's behalf either. Before, he'd seen the white-haired boy silently staring after Sora's group as they walked towards the beach or to school. Now he understood why.

So, in short, Leon was not concerned.

When the food was gone and their stomachs full, Sora and Riku elected to a walk on the beach to take a break from movies. As Sora wished Leon goodbye, he saw his brother nod subtly.

So that was a yes.

But, how was he supposed to go about bringing it up and moving forward with the information? As the crunching gravel road beneath their feet gave way to sand, he decided that he had no idea. The sunset was a hazy mix of pinks, oranges, and reds, swirling above them with wispy clouds overhead. The ocean carried on with its calm rhythm and sensual push and pull. They abandoned their shoes.

Sora came to the conclusion that he had to say something, but Riku beat him to it.

"Hey, Sora?" he asked, looking far ahead of them down the coastline.

Sora blinked. Riku...sounded different. Not like his normal playful self. He sounded serious, but not upset, and he could hear it in the way his voice lowered and his face was stilled of readable emotion. "What?"

"Do you remember when we were kids? And there was that big mess with my parents?"

"Um. Yeah. What about it?" The sand was still warm from the afternoon sun between his toes, sifting and soft. Their hair swayed in the gentle breeze, and Sora was overcome by a sense of calm.

"I wanted to thank you," he said. A small smile played on his lips for a brief second.

"What for?"

"That day when I was sitting by myself on the paopu tree... You invited me to play, and it helped to take my mind off of it. You made me feel better. If I hadn't been able to relax with you guys like that, I think I might've snapped."

Sora felt a blush stain his cheeks. "Oh. Don't worry about it. It wasn't a big deal."

"It was to me," he replied instantly. Sora let it be.

There was a comfortable silence between them. It snuggled in under their breaths and waited for a few minutes. A thought finally occurred to the brunette.

"I have something to thank you for too." He swallowed, but he wasn't afraid anymore.

"What's that?"

"For being at the library that day. I got to know you a lot better, and I'm really glad I got the chance to, because I didn't know what I was missing." They stopped walking, and Sora took a brave step closer to Riku to where their chests were nearly touching.

"About that, I have a small confession. Merlin didn't actually need the book. I just told you that so you would keep coming over." Sora looked up suddenly, any lingering doubts erased from his mind. Riku's eyes were bright aquamarine and completely honest. There was nothing else he needed to know.

Sora reached up without further hesitation. Riku's lips were soft and perfect, with the lingering taste of the chocolate ice cream. His hair was just as smooth as Sora had imagined it to be, and he felt a thrill in finally kissing him, even though he'd only realized he'd wanted to for a long time the other day.

Riku's response was stunned. But, once he realized that, yes, he wasn't dreaming and, yes, that was really Sora's mouth on his, there was no pause. He put his hands to his hips firmly and drew him closer, deepening the kiss. Sora wrapped his arms around his neck and gave a slight, surprised moan when Riku ran along his lower lip with his tongue. The kiss was sweet, slow, and bliss.

They finally parted for air, faces flushed and teeth showing with their smiles. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time," Riku whispered. The shaky relief in his voice was unmistakable. He'd crossed the border into the Kingdom of Sora.

Sora giggled. "I guess I have too."

Their mouths met again, this time with more confidence. They pressed together, leaving not an inch of space, for there had been three inches between the on the couch for far too long. They ran fingers through hair, cupped smooth cheeks, and they both felt as if they were about to burst. Riku swept his tongue again, this time asking for permission. Sora parted his lips, allowing him access, and soon the ocean was silent, the seagulls gone, and there was only the sound of reckless breaths, lips coming together and apart and back together again, quiet moans, and the rustle of clothes against clothes. The brush of skin against skin.

They pulled away. The crashing of waves returned to their ears, and seagulls once again existed. They walked back to Sora's, taking their time to collect their shoes. When they stood at Sora's front door, Riku leaned in once more for a chaste meeting of lips. He was positively glowing.

"Tomorrow, what movie do you want to watch? I heard it's going to rain."

Sora grinned widely. "Whatever you want."

* * *

_Author's Notes For Those Who Care Enough To Read Them:_

_Ah, they're so cute! I loved writing this. I might do a companion piece later, but for now, this is it. I liked the Idea of Merlin being someone's grandfather. He kind of suits the role. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. _

_Please leave me some feedback, if it isn't too much trouble._

_Thanks,_

_Candy For Keyblades_


End file.
